I understand the passion of Linux users, and am not by any means antagonistic towards this OS.In fact my history is that, for 10 years, I was national support for SunOS/Solaris/AIX and Linux for a very large multinational computer company.I grew up with the Linux story and 4 and 8 bit microcomputers and saw MUCCPM go the way of the Dodo.

However, an OS is just a vehicle for applications, and these are what make a platform a success or failure.For developers and those rebels who want to make a statement about the domination of Microsoft, sure go with Linux.But your universe of applications will be smaller, and like that horrible OpenOffice, clunky and slow as treacle.

As for Linux being used in high performance computing, well UNIX and variants have been used there for decades.Being just a UNIX clone anyway, it is perfect for being configured into arrays, clouds, and so on.But so what?Its use in data centers is natural, but even here it has been declining in popularity, primarily due to the use of low cost intel processors.As the number of UNIX savvy people decline, the trend is moving inexorably towards Microsoft there as well.

I have paid my dues in the world of Linux, but rose colored glasses do not compliment me, so I choose not to wear them.

Rob, I and many others could go on and on about the litany of issues and aggravations we've had with Windows over the years. I would rather be constructive than destructive in my commentary so I refrain from doing so.

I encourage those interested to give a Linux distribution a try. There are many advantages it provides not the least of which are the generous licensing terms of most software found in the typical distribution. Also, little, if any, of the software provided by distributions will spy on its users or "phone home". For some of us, that is a big deal.

Regardless, I respond in the hopes that your commentary won't dissuade interested persons from try Linux (or one of the BSDs) if they're of a mind to do so.

I would never discourage anyone interested in computers from investigating Linux.Linux is the ideal platform for someone to truly learn how operating systems and the hardware interact.The configurability of Linux, which is a hallmark of UNIX systems means no limits to your ability to learn a modern operating system.

Microsoft windows is generally a consumer oriented operating system with the GUI being its primary interface.It has Server versions of course, but again they are GUI based, and made for easy broad based configuration control.Microsoft hides its complexity from naive users, who are the mainstay of its market share, which is as it should be.I could not imagine my parents trying to configure the network control files - they have trouble enough with a mouse.

One (possibly inaccurate) programming analogy is JAVA versus C.Java will put you in a straightjacket and stop you from making simple syntax errors - a nanny state type of language - i.e. Windows.C will let you type in what you want (within reason), even if it makes no sense, assuming you are smart enough to know what you want - i.e. Linux/UNIX.

The well known bell shaped curve applies as equally to computer users as it does to many other things in nature.The number of users of Linux will always be smaller than Windows, because Linux needs time and effort to learn.The many attempts of using X to emulate windows are fine, but why try to make Linux into Windows?The allure of Linux is that it takes effort to learn, like CW in ham radio.

Once learned, Linux skills will put you into a smaller group of computer enthusiasts who really understand computers.This goal is not mass-market, and so Linux will never be mass-market - but that is what makes it great.

In some ways Linux is like ham radio.Many people would probably not understand why we learn how radio's work, bounce signals off the ionosphere, and use ancient modes like CW.Most people just want to press call on their cell-phone, and just can't see why we take the hard route (in their minds).

The reason of course, is learning for its own sake, and a personal voyage of discovery.

I have written on more than one occasion that we on the Linux side were wrong in our advocacy in the past by asserting, "...just like Windows." I have now taken the track of explaining that Linux is its own system and has its own way of doing things.

People looking for a bug-for-bug replacement for MS Windows need to look elsewhere. ReactOS is one such project with that as its goal but may not be suitable for general use as of yet. It would be interesting to see how it would run N1MM, for example, for those so inclined. So far I only tried it in a VM which is far from ideal.

Your comment on the relationship of C to Unix is apt. I had tried to understand C for many years, but it wasn't until I became comfortable with Linux that C began to make sense to me. Go figure.

I see common aspects between the Linux and amateur radio communities. In fact, someone else in the Linux community recently pointed back at amateur radio as the original geek community. Heh! Part of my interest in both communities is helping to bridge the gap between them in some small way.

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